Barricades

Valtir Rentals provided construction site safety solutions, such as perimeter fencing around the Clemson Memorial Stadium during the university’s stadium renovation project that started at the end of the 2021 season.

The Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Clemson University Tigers have one of the most elite U.S. football programs, drawing fanfare and tradition to Clemson, S.C. Clemson Memorial Stadium, or “Death Valley” as it is lovingly called, is undergoing a phased renovation project to enhance the fan experience. 

Brasfield & Gorrie, a Greenville, S.C. general contractor, is well-known in the football stadium construction arena and is involved in both Phases I and II. Starting at the end of the 2021-22 season, the company dismantled the scoreboard, and construction began on a new video board. The new 7,166-square-foot video board—which is five times bigger than the previous scoreboard— will be complemented by LED stadium lighting and a new sound system. This phase also adds premium seating, club spaces, and accessible seating. Phase II will focus on locker room renovations and parking lot upgrades.

During Phase I, a portion of Williamson Road near Memorial Stadium was reduced to one lane, and a temporary stop light was added. To ensure the safety of the students, staff, visitors, and construction workers, the Yodock^® 2001MB barricades from Valtir Rentals (formerly Trinity Highway Rentals) were installed for the street closure, with the fence application. This barricade system gave the workers the space they needed around the scoreboard to get their job done and move heavy equipment to and from the site while also protecting the workers from on-coming traffic and the students from the construction site.

Yodock^® 2001MB is a plastic, water-filled longitudinal channelizing device (LCD) that is designed for traffic and pedestrian channelization, road and street closures, or perimeter fencing for vertical construction. The units are attached end-to-end using plastic couplers. The lightweight system is made from high-density polyethylene and can be positioned by hand. It is stackable, which makes transportation and storage more efficient and less expensive. While the most popular color is white, custom colors are available. The 2001MB is MASH Level 2 tested as a longitudinal channelizer. The units are 6 feet long and 18 inches wide with an 85-pound empty weight. The project ordered 750 feet of Yodock^® 2001MB.

“I used this same system at Camperdown, a mixed-use development in downtown Greenville,” says Mark Young, a senior superintendent with Brasfield & Gorrie. “I like the level of safety that it provides to the workers who work inside the perimeter of these barricades. The barricades are easy to move and rearrange if the need arises. The site prep was a group effort between Clemson Athletics, Clemson University, campus police, and all the people who run the bus system. The primary focus of the group was student and pedestrian safety, as well as the safety of motorists and the bus system.”

Brasfield & Gorrie was asked to demolish the old board, footings, and surrounding fence and gates; drill 19 cylindrical piers 30 inches in diameter at a minimum of 25 feet into the bedrock below the new board; pour pile caps 4 feet thick on top of the piers and set anchor bolts 2 1/2 inches in diameter that were an average of 4-feet long into the concrete of the cap; and erect primary steel with eight catwalks built into the framework that hold all the electrical components that power the board along with all the sound systems.

“Brasfield & Gorrie has a culture that is based on safety,” Young says. “Safety has guided our decisions since the company was founded.”

The project began right after the Tigers’ last 2021 home football game, and the Yodock^® 2001MB Barricades were on site by the end of November 2021. The project was completed by the start of the following football season, with a home opener on Sept. 10, 2022.

“This was a great opportunity to work with B&G Equipment & Supply and Brasfield & Gorrie on a cool project. Everyone worked together and got the customer taken care of. We look forward to working with this company again in the future,” says York Godfrey, sales representative with Valtir Rentals.

Source: Valtir, LLC